“It’s a time for outstanding communication” – Trust me, I’m listed is published today!

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In my excitement about announcing the launch of the book in my last post, I realise that, while telling you all the nice things people have said about it, I haven’t actually said very much about the book itself – and therefore why you might want to read it. (Aside from those nice things, of course – and thanks to Sir Donald Brydon for his “outstanding communication” comment in the book’s foreword which I’ve used in this blog’s title.)

One of the best things about this book is that it’s not just by me, but has chapters from fellow authors who are experts on different aspects of reporting (more on them below). It also includes interviews with a number of different reporting stakeholders – investors, a lawyer, an auditor, company secretaries – and case studies on topical reporting subjects. And, sprinkled throughout are anonymised quotes from people at the reporting coalface – anonymity was very important to make sure we heard the real stories, not just the sanitised versions!

So what’s it all about?

I was asked by the Governance Institute to write a book on how to do reporting well, but as you’ll see from the subtitle – “Why the annual report matters and how to do it well” – we added an extra dimension. The philosophy of the book is that if you understand why you’re being asked to do something, you’ll do it much better than if you’re simply told what to do.

This is fundamental for reporting because, while the principles behind what makes a report a good one are broadly the same for everyone, and the principles of getting it done are widely applicable too, what will make your report a good one is it being right for your company. And there is no single, right way of doing that – the right way to do your report for your company will be unique to you.

After all, UK reporting regulations are principles-based not rules-based – assuming rightly that every company is unique and has its own story to tell. Similarly, every company is a collection of different people who like to work in different ways, with a unique internal dynamic and processes. Of course, there are regulatory boxes to be ticked, and you need to make sure they are, but the way you do that should be unique to you.

Explaining the principles behind good reporting

What this book sets out to do, then, is to explain, in six chapters, the principles behind reporting, drawing on the expertise of many skilled people across the reporting spectrum.

Chapter 1. What reporting is about, and how to make it into a story

This covers the history of reporting – and why that’s important – and explains how to take the requirements and write a corporate story. The principles apply to the governance and remuneration reports as well, although the strategic report inevitably has more attention. By Adrian Hornsby – an expert in writing corporate reports, who has also written books on social impact and international development as well as works for music theatre.

Chapter 2. What else reporting is about (and may be about soon)

This covers non-statutory reporting, the future of reporting and includes case studies on the Brydon Review, the FRC’s Future of Corporate Reporting Project, and my old favourite, ESEF. By me.

Chapter 3. How to make what is a complex process as smooth and as easy as possible from planning to publication

Given the experience of lockdown, this chapter also includes an addendum on dealing with the challenges of remote working. By Kerry Watson, a governance professional with 15 years’ experience as company secretary for FTSE companies in the engineering, energy and retail sectors.

Chapter 4. How to make your report accessible and engaging through writing and design. By Heather Atchison, a tone of voice and corporate storytelling expert, who has written and edited annual reports for a host of well-known global businesses.

Chapter 5. How to work well with your agency

This includes perspectives from colleagues from other reporting agencies – Black Sun, Conran Design Group, Emperor, Friend Studio and Radley Yeldar. By me.

Chapter 6. How to make the most of your annual report story as the foundation of your ongoing communications

This covers how to bring together the work you do on the annual report with other comms to tell a consistent story across all channels. By Neil Roberts, who spent 20 years pioneering a new digital approach to investor communications as one of the founding team of Investis Digital before joining Falcon Windsor as our MD in December 2019.

Each chapter has tips and takeaways, and the Falcon Windsor team has designed the book in a way that, we hope, follows our own principles from Chapter 4 of being engaging and accessible.

In summary…

What you’ll find running through the whole book is a single, powerful message about the importance and value of reporting as the basis of the relationship of trust between company and stakeholder. This goes right back to the very origins of civilisation and the foundations of writing, as you’ll discover in the rather playful prologue that starts the book, written by Mark Forsyth, best-selling author of a number of books on the English language.

What I hope you’ll also find is a real eagerness from me and my fellow authors to share with you the principles of how to do reporting well, so that you can produce a report you can be proud of through a process that’s a little less arduous. Given its complexities, reporting will never be easy. But, thanks to the generous contributions of so many people to this book, and virtual working challenges notwithstanding, it could certainly become a whole lot easier and better.

www.trustmeimlisted.com